Holga cameras making a comeback.

[Denis OLIVIER]

Good news that Holga original are still built, anyway I miss the simple GN now (not the GCFN which have "all") as the basic with a better meniscus glass lens

 

[AgX]

I never have come across an original Holga.
Only 3 Dianas.

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

I've been using Holgas for over 20 years. Fun, creative cameras!

 

[Pioneer]

I like mine. I like my Brownies as well.

Just about any camera can be coaxed into producing amazing photographs if you understand their limitations and are willing to work within them. Creativity is really a state of mind, not a piece of equipment. I have an image created with a box of children's crayons that is beautiful.

Otherwise they probably aren't worth your time.

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

I like mine. I like my Brownies as well.

Just about any camera can be coaxed into producing amazing photographs if you understand their limitations and are willing to work within them. Creativity is really a state of mind, not a piece of equipment. I have an image created with a box of children's crayons that is beautiful.

Otherwise they probably aren't worth your time.

Love my Brownies, too. Especially me Grand Father's Six-20. But is a pain to respool film, but can't complain about thay large negative.

 

[eddie]

Just about any camera can be coaxed into producing amazing photographs if you understand their limitations and are willing to work within them. Creativity is really a state of mind, not a piece of equipment.

Exactly.

 

[ChristopherCoy]

I like mine. I like my Brownies as well.

the Hawkeyes with a flipped lens are my favorites!

 

[Donald Qualls]

the Hawkeyes with a flipped lens are my favorites!

Not me. I love the old Brownie Hawkeye Flash just the way it came out of the factory when I was in diapers. Sharp enough to print 10x10, if you hold steady and have the distance right (8-10 feet). With they had a tripod socket, though. One of my favorites from my first Hawkeye Flash was a long exposure -- 2-3 seconds, IIRC -- looking up an exhibit in the entry of a forestry museum across the parking lot from the old Portland, Oregon zoo, and Oregon Museum of Science and Industry. All I could so was steady on a railing, set the shutter to B, and hold my breath...

 

[ChristopherCoy]

I like the grittiness that the flipped lens makes. My profile pic was done that way. One of my favorite images!

 

[Donald Qualls]

The me, the advantages the Holga has over the Hawkeye Flash are: focusing lens, masks and red windows for two formats, and a hot shoe instead of the proprietary Kodak flashgun mount/contacts -- plus, it won't automatically crack or shatter if it takes a hit.

 

[Huss]

I like the grittiness that the flipped lens makes. My profile pic was done that way. One of my favorite images!

That lens makes you look like a dog.

 

[ciniframe]

I like mine. I like my Brownies as well.

Just about any camera can be coaxed into producing amazing photographs if you understand their limitations and are willing to work within them. Creativity is really a state of mind, not a piece of equipment. I have an image created with a box of children's crayons that is beautiful.

Otherwise they probably aren't worth your time.

A couple of good examples of creative use of the Holga are the photos by David Burnett and Michael Kenna.
Both of these photographers use other cameras as well but have done interesting work with the Holga 120.

 

[Pioneer]

A couple of good examples of creative use of the Holga are the photos by David Burnett and Michael Kenna.
Both of these photographers use other cameras as well but have done interesting work with the Holga 120.

I have Michael Kenna's book and every time I look through it I am inspired to shoot several more rolls of film through my Holga.

I have gotten some interesting photos but I don't think I am ready to print my own book yet.

 

[radiant]

I have Michael Kenna's book and every time I look through it I am inspired to shoot several more rolls of film through my Holga.

Same here! But when I got shooting, I don't come up with any good photos and get depressed. It is really difficult to get printable negatives with Holga.

.. and then I look at the book again and realize that it is not about the camera, it's about the moment, subject and light.

 

[radiant]

btw: A crazy idea popped into my mind; have anyone tried to use Holga lens in enlarger?

 

[Donald Qualls]

It is really difficult to get printable negatives with Holga.

Perhaps you need to loosen your definition of printable? You won't get sharpness corner to corner; that just doesn't happen with a plastic meniscus, especially convex side forward. So, you need to make images that work with soft corners, chromatic aberration, etc.

 

[Pioneer]

it's about the moment, subject and light.

Exactly.

 

[Nicholas Lindan]

You won't get sharpness corner to corner; that just doesn't happen with a plastic meniscus,

Curved film planes weren't unusual in plastic box cameras. The curve really improved the side-to-side image quality though the top and bottom of the image (and the corners) remained as blurry as ever.

Some of these cameras even had curved pressure plates.

 

[Donald Qualls]

Curved film planes weren't unusual in plastic box cameras. The curve really improved the side-to-side image quality though the top and bottom of the image (and the corners) remained as blurry as ever.

Some of these cameras even had curved pressure plates.

Yep, I have several simple cameras older than the Hawkeye Flash that have curved film planes. It does help at least in terms of keeping the main line of interest (horizontally across the center of frame) a bit sharper.

 

[AgX]

Curved film planes were common in cameras, including metal ones.

 

[baachitraka]

Agfa Clack et al.,

 

[Ko.Fe.]

The only reason to see no more Holgas is true dead on demand. Lovely cameras.

 

[radiant]

Perhaps you need to loosen your definition of printable? You won't get sharpness corner to corner; that just doesn't happen with a plastic meniscus, especially convex side forward. So, you need to make images that work with soft corners, chromatic aberration, etc.

I was referring to exposure. It is really hard to get suitable contrast for printing. Scanning the negative can save so much on the messed up exposure.

 

[Donald Qualls]

I was referring to exposure. It is really hard to get suitable contrast for printing. Scanning the negative can save so much on the messed up exposure.

Hmm. I've gotten plenty of printable negatives over the course of decades with fixed exposure cameras. Light and loaded film need to match up reasonably well.

One of my favorites...

Brownie Hawkeye Flash, .EDU Ultra 100, Parodinal 1:50, scan from darkroom print.

 

[xya]

wow, that's an excellent one. congrats.